Part 1 (2/2)

Tiff popped a piece of gum into her mouth and looked at Amber as she started chewing. The way Tiff chewed was nothing like the way anyone else did. She chewed as if she was daring you to say something. She had chewed that way as she hauled her slight body up a mountain in deliberate slow motion; as she'd sat down during a hike and refused to walk another step. Go on Go on, her chewing said. What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do about it? The other kids had been just as difficult to start with, but as they started to enjoy themselves Tiff stayed mutinous. Now here she was at the bitter end, still rebelling. The other kids had been just as difficult to start with, but as they started to enjoy themselves Tiff stayed mutinous. Now here she was at the bitter end, still rebelling.

The jaw chewed. 'Where's my crummy certificate?'

One of the things Alex was especially looking forward to was seeing the back of her. He answered her question. 'You don't get one. You haven't pa.s.sed.'

Tiff turned her chewing face in his direction. 'They all got one.'

'They earned them,' said Li.

Tiff shrugged. She reached past Alice and grabbed the certificate on the arm of the sofa. Alice tried to grab it but Tiff held it out of her reach.

'Keep your hair on, I'm only looking.' Tiff studied the certificate for a moment, mouth working. Her face broke into a humourless grin. 'What a load of c.r.a.p.'

'Just give it back,' said Alice.

Tiff held the certificate teasingly between pinched fingers, threatening to tear it in two. Now she really had everyone's attention. Slowly she ripped the certificate in two and let the pieces fall.

The entire room gasped.

Amber's eyes narrowed; Alex was looking at the girl with loathing; Hex's eyes were flinty; Li's knuckles were white as she gripped the chair, as though she was having trouble keeping herself from jumping up and giving the girl a good slap. Tiff sat back and glared at them all, arms folded, her mouth still chewing.

Paulo heard the chair sc.r.a.pe beside him. Mary slipped into the seat. 'Er, Paulo, can I have a word?'

Paulo grimaced. 'Pretty dumb show of authority, eh? Thank G.o.d we're getting shot of her.' He smiled at Mary, but Mary didn't respond.

'I have a problem. I had a fax from Tiff's parents. They've been delayed and asked if she could stay on for a bit longer.'

Paulo looked at the others. After the outrage, the cheerful mood was returning to the room. He knew without a doubt that the others were relaxing because they would soon be getting rid of Tiff. He said reluctantly, 'How long does she need to stay?'

'Until the weekend.'

The weekend. Today was Sunday. They'd have Tiff for another five days at least. That would be almost all of their time together. 'Are you staying too?' he said.

'I've got to leave tomorrow. Her parents are happy for you to be completely in charge, do what you want. I know she's a pain, but she hasn't got anywhere else to go.'

Paulo heard himself say, 'All right, we'll have her.'

But he dreaded what the others would say.

2.

UNWANTED GUEST.

Alex liked to sit outside last thing before going to bed. The sun had gone down, leaving a faint line of fire outlining the tops of the mountains. The white walls of the hostel were pinkish purple, the dark slate roof invisible against the black mountain. Lighted upstairs windows were squares of bright orange. Occasionally a shadow flitted across the curtains as the kids packed and got ready for bed. The hostel had started life as a couple of crofts nestled in the heather-covered hills. A two-storey house had been built to join them together, creating a sizeable building that could sleep twelve. They had rented it, through the holiday company, from the laird who owned Glaickvullin Lodge, further down the valley. All the land immediately around a thousand hectares belonged to his estate.

It was so peaceful. You only got that deep silence in a huge open s.p.a.ce. It reminded Alex of his solitary camping trips on the Northumbrian moors, practising survival skills learned from his dad, a soldier in the SAS.

The north of Scotland was Alex's kind of place the lochs that ran like silver tongues between the brooding mountains, the thras.h.i.+ng sea, the mists that rolled in like smoke, the heather-covered hills like rumples of purple tweed. He could imagine nothing nicer than cooking mussels and c.o.c.kles over a pit of fire on a rugged seash.o.r.e, watching the birds and seals with his four friends. There was Paulo, medic, engineering expert. His charm and easy laugh had meant that he was the first member of Alpha Force to win over the reluctant guests. There was Hex, their computer expert, virtually Paulo's opposite a loner, preferring to observe or to retreat into the cyber-world of his palmtop computer. If Paulo had won the kids' affections, Hex had won their admiration with his knowledge of arcane websites. There was Li, martial arts expert, so pet.i.te that she looked fragile. But Alex had never met anyone with such strength. There was Amber, their navigation expert, who had chaired the evening's proceedings with relaxed a.s.surance.

The thought came into Alex's mind, not for the first time: they were all getting older. They would be leaving school, making career choices. Amber's new responsibilities were just the beginning. Would this be the last holiday together?

Whether it was or not, he certainly didn't want it spoiled by an unwanted guest.

High up in a window in the central part of the building he saw a dim light and a familiar outline Hex, his cropped head bent over his palmtop.

Alex grasped the drainpipe, tugged it to see if it would take his weight and climbed up swiftly, hand over hand. Hex was clicking on his palmtop keyboard with each ear enclosed by a silver cup. They were cordless Bluetooth headphones his latest pride and joy.

That meant Hex wouldn't hear him coming. Alex smiled as he slipped in through the window.

Hex looked at him and gave a yelp, but a moment later Alex found himself slammed onto the window frame, his head dangling over the edge, the catch digging painfully into his back and a hand at his throat.

Alex kicked Hex's legs out from underneath him and he rolled away. Alex slid off the windowsill down to the floor and found Hex already crouching on his heels, ready to strike.

Alex relaxed and sat back against the wall, laughing. 'Sorry, mate, I couldn't resist it your window was open.'

Hex relaxed out of the fighting posture. He retrieved his palmtop, which was upside down on the orange duvet, glowing blue like an upturned book of magic. He snapped it shut and sat on the bed.

Alex dusted flakes of black paint from the drainpipe off his hands. 'Great reaction time. Even with the headphones you didn't miss a beat.'

Hex pulled a face. 'If you'd been Paulo, I wouldn't have stopped. He must be off his head. It was going to be just the five of us; now we have to haul that sourpuss around.'

Alex looked at him. 'Mate, take those off, you look like an alien.'

Hex remembered the headphones and unhooked them. 'What was Paulo thinking? Why on earth did he say yes?'

Amber had grabbed Paulo's phone and was not going to give it back. 'It's a message from Fleur.' She sat back on her bed, pulled her knees up to her chest and read out the text. 'Lovely to meet you. If you're ever in Manchester give me a call.' Amber's eyes opened wide. 'Oooh, a fan.' She tossed the phone back onto the purple duvet.

Paulo watched from a chair, while Li sank back on her elbows at the foot of the bed. They were in Amber's bedroom, keeping out of the way of the kids, who were searching the common areas checking they hadn't left anything behind.

'I bet Fleur's hoping you'll ask her to stay another week too,' said Amber acidly.

'Bet she can't understand why you singled out a monster like Tiff to keep on,' said Li.

'Law of the jungle,' Amber told her. 'Nice girls finish last.'

Paulo grimaced. He normally gave as good as he got when they started teasing but right now he was thinking, What have I done?

Another bleep another message. This time Li got to it first. Click, click-click. 'Claire.' She looked at Paulo. 'She says, are you free for a party in Ipswich next week?'

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